Orb-weaver spiders are members of the spider family Araneidae. They are the most common group of builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields, and forests. The English word "orb" can mean "circular", hence the English name of the group. Araneids have eight similar eyes, hairy or spiny legs, and no stridulating organs.
The blacktailed red sheetweaver, also known as red grass spider, is a species of dwarf spider. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Florinda. It was first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1896, and has only been found in Mexico, the West Indies, and the United States. It is common in the southeastern United States, inhabiting grasslands, lawns, and agricultural fields.
A stabilimentum, also known as a web decoration, is a conspicuous silk structure included in the webs of some species of orb-web spider. Its function is a subject of debate.
Ordgarius is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugen von Keyserling in 1886. Adult females of the genus are bolas spiders, capturing their prey with one or more sticky drops at the end of a single line of silk rather than in a web. Males and juvenile females capture their prey directly with their legs.
Micrathena, known as spiny orbweavers, is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1833. Micrathena contains more than a hundred species, most of them Neotropical woodland-dwelling species. The name is derived from the Greek "micro", meaning "small", and the goddess Athena.
Kaira, sometimes called frilled orbweavers, is a mostly neotropical genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1889. It includes sixteen described species that occur from South America up to the southern and eastern USA. It is presumably related to Aculepeira, Amazonepeira and Metepeira.
Acacesia is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1895. It contains six species with a mostly neotropical distribution, ranging from South America to Mexico. One species, A. hamata, is found in the US as well.
Cyrtophora citricola, also known as the tropical tent-web spider, is an orb-weaver spider in the family Araneidae. It is found in Asia, Africa, Australia, Costa Rica, Hispaniola, Colombia, and Southern Europe and in 2000, it was discovered in Florida. C. citricola differs from many of its close relatives due its ability to live in a wide variety of environments. In North America and South America, the spider has caused extensive damage to agricultural operations.
Cyrtophora exanthematica are tent spiders common in tropical Asia and Australia. They are commonly known as double-tailed tent spiders because of the pair of blunt projections at the end of their abdomens. They are harmless to humans.
Neoscona oaxacensis, known as western spotted orbweaver and zig-zag spider, is a species of spider in the family Araneidae. It is distributed in the Americas, from Kansas and California south to Venezuela and Peru, including the Galápagos Islands.
Parawixia is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by F. O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1904. Most species are found in the Neotropics but one species, Parawixia dehaani, is found in Australasia and tropical Asia as far west as India.
Pickardinella is a monotypic genus of Mexican long-jawed orb-weavers containing the single species, Pickardinella setigera. The species was first described by Frederick Octavius Pickard-Cambridge under the name Leucauge setigera, and was moved to its own genus in 1951. Physically, they resemble members of Opadometa and Leucauge. Males are very small, only growing up to about 2 millimetres (0.079 in) long. A female has never been found.
Edricus is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1890. As of April 2019 it contains only two species.
Kapogea is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Herbert Walter Levi in 1997.
Metazygia is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by F. O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1904. They physically resemble members of Nuctenea, but they do not have fine setae on the carapace.
Wagneriana is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by F. O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1904.
Epeirotypus is a genus of ray spiders that was first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1894.
Epilineutes is a monotypic genus of South and Central American ray spiders containing the single species, Epilineutes globosus. The genus was first described by Jonathan A. Coddington in 1986. The single species was first described in 1896 under the name Andasta globosa, but has also been referred to as Theridiosoma globosum.
Melpomene elegans is a species of spider in the family Agelenidae. It is found in Mexico.
Metabus is a genus of long-jawed orb-weavers that was first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1899.
